Ga. nurse says African Americans need to stay vigilant in the fight against COVID-19

ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Public Health took a closer look at the demographic data concerning age and race of COVID-19 patients who have died.

Black people between the ages of 30 and 39, lost their lives to COVID-19 more than any other group, Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston learned.

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We spoke with a health care provider who told Channel 2 people need to take this new variant seriously.

Channel 2 was there when registered nurse Joanna Fuller-Crawford performed a health check-up on one of her patients.

She said she wants to make sure all of her patients are taking care of themselves and are following the CDC’s COVID-19 guidelines, but especially her Black patients and other patients of color.

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“Unfortunately, people of color have more comorbidities than anyone else, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, which are the main factors that affect COVID-19,” Fuller-Crawford said.

The Georgia Department of Health says as of July 13, more than 32,000 Georgians have died from COVID-19.

African Americans make up half of that number. All other minority groups aren’t even in the triple digits. Fuller-Crawford, who owns Perfect Care Nursing and provides home health checks, says African Americans need to do better.

“It is hugely important to get vaccinated, as well as practice social distancing, wash your hands and wear your mask in crowds,” she said.

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The CDC says fewer people are being hospitalized and dying from the new COVID-19 variants, but they still recommend taking safety precautions. Fuller-Crawford says you never know what’s next.

“We just continue to educate them and their families, because unfortunately sometimes the families still don’t understand how risky it is,” she said.

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